Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Musicians: British Nationals Abroad

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of precedents for reciprocal arrangements for touring musicians in existing trade agreements, andin the EU–Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement in particular.

Baroness Barran: Through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK and the EU agreed to a list of 11 activities that can be carried out by short-term business visitors without the need for a work permit, on a reciprocal basis in most Member States – subject to any reservations taken. This list of permitted activities is based on the best precedent established in the EU’s Free Trade Agreements with Canada and Japan. It includes, among other activities, permissions for after-sales, translation and market research services. The EU–Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement does not include any facilitations for touring musicians.The UK pushed for the list of permitted activities to be expanded to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff. This was a straightforward solution for our creative industries which would have benefited all sides. Regrettably, the EU rejected these proposals.

Musicians: Work Permits

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Barran on 19 January (HL Deb, col 1085), on what date their proposals for enabling musicians to travel and perform in the EU without work permits was rejected; and what explanation they were given for this rejection.

Baroness Barran: During negotiations with the EU, the UK repeatedly pushed to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff, through the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors. This would have allowed musicians and support staff to travel and perform in the UK and the EU more easily, without needing work-permits.The UK made an offer to the EU which reflected the input of experts from the music sector. This was a straightforward solution for our creative industries which would have benefited all sides.The EU turned down our proposals on the basis that musicians were providing a service which they viewed as necessitating a work permit and/or visa.

Musicians: Work Permits

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Barran on 19 January (HL Deb, col 1085), whether their proposals for enabling musicians to travel and perform in the EU without work permits included musicians being considered Short-Term Business Visitors; and, if so, what assessment they have made of whether this would remove the requirement for work permits.

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the EU’s definition of Short-Term Business Visitor allows for the selling of services, including by musicians, to the general public during such visits.

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether UK musicians require a work permit to undertake unpaid performances in the EU.

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by the Minister of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 19 January (HC Deb, col 773), when they will publish guidance on the criteria that each EU Member State has for allowing UK performers and artists to work there.

Baroness Barran: The Trade and Cooperation Agreement includes a list of 11 activities that can be carried out by short-term business visitors without a work permit, on a reciprocal basis in most Member States, subject to any reservations taken.During negotiations with the EU, the UK proposed expanding this list of activities for Short Term Business Visitors to cover musicians and their accompanying staff. This would have enabled musicians and other creative professionals to travel and perform in the UK and the EU without needing work-permits. Regrettably, these proposals were rejected by the EU.Due to the UK’s inclusion on the EU Schengen visa-waiver list, certain activities should be permitted, visa-free, across the whole Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Member States may require a visa and/or a work permit for what they regard as “paid activity”. Some Member States do allow additional permitted activities, without the need for a visa or work permit, as part of their domestic immigration regimes. Therefore, UK cultural professionals, including musicians, seeking to perform within the EU will be required to check domestic immigration and visitor rules for each Member State in which they intend to perform.We have published guidance on GOV.UK, signposting to official information provided by EU countries about their business travel routes, which is regularly updated. We are also undertaking an extensive programme of engagement with the sectors to help them understand these new requirements.

Department for Transport

Shipping: Radio Frequencies

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 15 January (HL11793), what assessment they have made of the resilience of UK merchant ships’ ability to receive position, navigation and timing data in the event of a failure of satellite provision.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Merchant ships’ navigation officers, under part of their certificates of competency, are provided adequate practical training both ashore and on board to detect and respond to failures of satellite-based position, navigation and timing provisions. They are, therefore, equipped to employ alternate methods and equipment, such as visual and radar lines of positions, and celestial navigation techniques for the coastal and oceanic phases of ships’ voyages respectively.

Travel Restrictions: Coronavirus

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria theyused to determine which countries should be placed on the list of countries from which they have banned travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; what plans they have to add further countries to that list; and what steps they are taking to ensure that any arrivals from those countries who cannot be refused entry to the UK quarantine in hotels.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The decision to introduce travel bans is in direct response to new scientific and medical data, which represents an increased risk to UK public health and an increased risk of community transmission of the new COVID-19 variants identified in other countries. These are temporary measures and the government keeps data for countries and territories under constant review. The Government has made it consistently clear that it will take decisive action to contain the virus, including imposing travel bans if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high. The introduction of additional measures including hotel quarantine will be an important measure in the Government’s border response. Plans are urgently in development and the Government will set out a detailed implementation plan in due course.

Customs: Kent

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide facilities for drivers delayed awaiting customsproceedings in Kent.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Currently traffic is flowing well through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel. However, should there be significant delays, the Department of Transport has included the provision of adequate and Covid-secure welfare in our plans for the lorry holding sites at Ashford-Sevington and Manston Airfield. Our sites include catering, medical and sanitation facilities for HGV drivers to use. If required, these facilities can be adjusted to respond to different levels of congestion.The Kent Resilience Forum (which includes Kent County Council, Kent Police and other organisations working in Kent) has a driver welfare plan that will provide reasonable and proportionate distribution of welfare to both passenger and freight traffic during significant congestion. It covers the deployment of food, water, medicine, warmth and sanitation.

Home Office

Police: Coronavirus

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether police officers will be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lord Greenhalgh: For the first phase of the vaccine rollout, the Government is prioritising the elderly and clinically vulnerable, alongside the front-line healthcare workers who are directly treating and caring for them. Those over 50, and all adults in an exposure risk group, will then also be eligible for vaccination in the early phase of the programme. This already includes many police officers and police staff.The Government recognise the vital work of the police and we continue to reemphasise that in discussions on the next phase of the vaccine prioritisation.

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021; and what plans they have to introduce similar legislation in relation to retail workers in England.

Lord Greenhalgh: Justice is a devolved matter in Scotland and so the introduction of any new offence in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government and Parliament to consider and we will monitor the effects of the new Scottish legislation.The Government is committed to keeping our retail environments safe by driving down violence and abuse towards shop staff. We are working with retail stakeholders through the National Retail Crime Steering Group to ensure the response to these crimes is as robust as it can be. A wide range of offences already exist which cover assaults against any worker, including shop workers. In all cases, the fact that an offence has been committed against a person serving the public will be considered an aggravating factor for the purpose of passing sentence.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 19 January (HL12090), how many drivers in vehicles with non-UK number plates were identified as committing a speeding offence in the 2019/20 financial year; and how many of those drivers were fined.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued for speed limit offences. These data can be found in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-walesInformation on the nationality of number plates connected to speeding offences is not collected or held by the Home Office. Police Powers England and Wales  (pdf, 2461.4KB)

Borders: Coronavirus

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not close the UK’s borders in March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic; and what assessment they have made of the impact of not closing the borders on the spread of COVID-19 in the UK.

Lord Greenhalgh: HMG decisions throughout the pandemic have been guided by the science, including with measures taken at the border over the last year. We are now in a completely different position to where we were at the start of the pandemic in terms of our awareness of the disease and of the new variants identified across the globe, such as in Brazil and South Africa.Any decisions on borders must also consider the need to keep vital supply routes open, especially freight traffic across the Short Straights and to the Republic of Ireland via the UK Land Bridge.

Ministry of Defence

Aircraft Carriers

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 25 January (HL12034),how many aircraft carriersthey plan to deploy in cases of a national emergency after 2023.

Baroness Goldie: The number of carriers deployed in response to a national emergency will very much depend on the situation at the time. The level of response would be determined by an operational assessment. The QEC long-term carrier policy and reason for bringing two carriers into service is to ensure that there will always be at least one carrier available, either at sea or in port, at very high readiness to deploy.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are required to give a 15 day period of advance notice of their intention to move armed forces personnel and military equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; if so, (1) to whom they give notice, (2) whether such personnel and equipment can be refused entry, and (3) what emergency procedures can be implemented if any notice period cannot be adhered to; and whether any such requirement applies to all (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy, and (c) Royal Air force, deployments.

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether aNATO302 form must be completed before they can move armed forces personnel and military equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if so, why.

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whethermilitary equipment being moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland isrequired to undergo inspection under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if so, where any such inspections will take place.

Baroness Goldie: The Protocol is clear that it respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the UK. It therefore places no restrictions on military movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A NATO 302 Form is not needed under the Northern Ireland Protocol to move Armed Forces personnel or military equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.